5th Marine Regiment

The 5th Marine Regiment is a part of the 1st Marine Division and is the highest-decorated regiment in the Marine Corps of the United States.

History
Founded in 1917, the 5th Marines took part in World War I in the Battle of Belleau Wood, the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The 5th Marines fought in Nicaragua between 1927 to 1930, putting down rebel forces under Sandino, but they were inactivated that year. They were reactivated during World War II, and they served in Guadalcanal, New Britain, New Guinea, Peleliu, and Okinawa from 1942 to 1945. After two years of being stationed in Tientsin in the Republic of China, they were sent to fight in the Korean War. The 5th Marines fought at the Battle of Inchon and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, and from 1953 to 1955 they occupied the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

From 1966 to 1971, the 5th Marines fought with distinction during the Vietnam War at the Battle of Hue City (2 February 1968), among other battles. In June 1968, the 5th Marines fought in Operation Red 1 and aided in the American victory over the North Vietnamese Army by capturing a former American SAM site. The 5th Marines then served in the wars in the Middle East from 1991 to 2011, when they left Iraq.